Robin Hood – An updateIt is not generally known that this swashbuckling philanthropist was the first proponent of propaganda delivery by air.The perceived image of the man is of a forest (Sherwood) dweller with a penchant for expertise with bow and arrow.No doubt, this expertise was useful in nabbing the odd wild boar, and possibly deer, and his partner Maid Marion probably used her culinary skill in providing tasty meals for Robin and his Merry Men.This idyllic existence might have lasted for ever, had Robin not had pangs of conscience about the poor and needy who could not share their lifestyle.Really, those well off merchants and landowners in the Nottingham area, ought to be contributing to the needs of the needy, and he would see what could be done to make them take on their civic duty.To get his message across to the affluent, he devised a cunning plan.Fortunately among his small band of men he had a scribe called Friar Tuck – a dropout from a local monastery, whom he set to work to write out small missives to get the message across to his target audience, and to suggest that if they did not come across with the goods, then he might have to take more drastic measures.And for delivery of these messages, this is where his skill as a bowman came to the fore. No walking up to the front door (and possibly encountering fierce guard dogs, to boot) to hand in his message. No, it would be far more effective if the message was attached to an arrow which was embedded in the door itself, for the owner to discover first thing in the morning – a bit like our present day postal system. By doing his rounds at night to minimize discovery, and delivering by arrow from a safe distance, he was able to cover a wide area, and deliver a lot of messages.Sadly his entreaties were almost universally ignored by the recipients – the general consensus being “Who does he think he is, to be telling us what we should be doing”.After about a month’s interval since the last messages had been delivered, one of the Merry Men, Will Scarlett, in disguise (khaki), was dispatched into Nottingham to see whether all this effort had produced any tangible results.He reported back that there was neither a Soup Kitchen nor a Charity Shop to be seen. So Robin decided to resort to drastic measures. He, and some of his Merry Men would ambush wealthy looking suspects and by force of numbers, relieve them of any currency or valuables in their possession. This “body search” activity took place at close quarters, so a bow and arrow were about as much use as a barrage balloon.It is unclear whether all the proceeds of this wealth re-distribution went to the poor and needy, or whether Robin took his “cut” for expenses incurred, including a contribution towards the wherewithal to keep his Men Merry.What is clear – with arrow delivery of messages, he was the precursor of present day junk mail.

ROBIN HOOD – Second thoughts What a load of old codswallop – who, in their right mind, would skulk around in the darkness wasting unrecoverable arrows by the quiverfull on a mostly hostile audience. Robin had a load of sidekicks who could have undertaken the task on the hoof. But that’s not how history played itself out.No, the whole saga is somewhat different – here are the facts. Robin Hood was the only son of a well off merchant in the Town of Nottingham. He lacked for nothing in his upbringing, and the silver spoon was never far from his mouth. However, he was not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but this was balanced by good looks and an engaging personality. We pick up his story in late adolescence where the likelihood of achieving any A levels or even O levels was as remote as spaceflight at that time. But all was not on the debit side – he did have an outstanding talent with bow and arrow, and had been captain of the First Five school team for several years in succession. There might have been quite a distinguished career in this field, had he kept his nose clean – Olympics ? – possibly. It was maybe unfortunate that the PE teacher in Robin’s school, and who took a great interest in the lad, was also a fanatic member of the local communist party. He was able to persuade him to attend a party meeting. And it was here that things started to go pear shaped. Although it may not have been called communist in those days, the aims were much the same – spread the wealth about more evenly and squeeze the fat cats. Robin might have been able to resist the blandishments of the message, had it not been for the fact that the secretary of the branch was one called Maid Marion, and in anyone’s eyes she was a looker. Although considerably older than him, at this point in her choice of partners, she rather fancied the idea of a toy boy. And Robin, with his good looks, and engaging manner rather fitted the bill. To say that he was smitten, when she unleashed her seductive charm and sex appeal in his direction is an understatement. He positively groveled. It should at this point be mentioned that maybe Maid Marion had an ulterior motive behind this seduction. She was what might be described as a hippy in modern parlance and was living rough with a fairly unsavoury band of misfits, in Sherwood Forest or in any temporary squats that escaped official repossession. Theirs was a hand to mouth existence, and a hunter gatherer, who was also a hot shot with bow and arrow could only improve their gastronomic deficiencies. You might have thought that Robin, who lacked for nothing in his home life, would not have taken very kindly to the change in lifestyle, being an item with Maid Marion would entail. However, such was his infatuation, and possibly the chance to use his archery skills to good effect, that he readily agreed to join the motley band. Actually, they were quite a well knit team. Robin, knocking off wild boar, deer, and occasionally a cow or sheep or two if the wild stuff was scarce. Will Scarlett, who had once done a stint in a Butcher’s shop, until his “till dipping” was discovered, and Friar Tuck who had been cook in a monastery, where they objected to him selling off some of the larder contents in the market . Together they made sure that everyone including the pickpockets, burglars, and con men, did not go hungry. As for their philanthropy – the wealthy were certainly the worse off from their attentions, but it is doubtful if the poor derived much direct benefit from their activities, apart from the pleasure of seeing the wealthy not quite so wealthy. To cut a short story short, It is probably Robin Hood who is principally remembered because he played the pivotal role of making sure they were all well fed.

At the risk of flogging a dead horse - judging by the lack of response, and the number of hits, here is a further insight into this piece of folklore.

ROBIN HOOD – Early Days

Harold Hood was taking an hour or two off in the afternoon from his Bookshop in the centre of Nottingham. He was one of those entrepreneurs who recognised an opportunity when it presented itself. After old Bill Caxton had developed his printing press, it was only a matter of time before books would be the next big thing, and Harold intended to see that the good citizens of his home town had an outlet to satisfy their craving for the printed word. From a small beginning in a back street, his business had flourished rapidly, and he now had one of the most prestigious shops in the High Street. From a single handed operation in the early days, he now had a manager and five assistants to deal with the flow of customers visiting the premises. So he could afford to take the time off, now and again. The reason for his absence on this particular afternoon, was the upcoming birthday of his son Robin – rapidly approaching the age of eight. Although Robin had mastered the art of reading, and his father would have been delighted to give him anything from within his extensive stock, it was unfortunately the case that nothing had yet been produced in print to appeal to those of tender years. Harold hoped that Robin, in due course, would follow on in his footsteps, and continue the bookshop to greater things, but meantime his son deserved some other occupation to fill his spare time. At a recent County Show, Robin had shown great interest in an Archery competition, and had to be dragged away forcibly from watching it. Harold’s manager, on hearing of this event had ventured the information that the local toyshop had among it’s wares, an archery set with suction cups on the arrows, instead of sharp pointed tips, and Harold reckoned that these might keep his son amused without causing havoc to the surroundings. The toyshop did have a set still in stock and Harold returned to his emporium, a happy man. It is probably quite a coincidence that Emily Hood, Robin’s mother was on this particular afternoon, also out and about, in the centre of Nottingham, with the upcoming birthday present in her mind. She, also had noticed her son’s preoccupation with the aforementioned Archery competition and repaired to the same toyshop to see what they might have on offer in that field. Unfortunately, she was told, they did have the very thing that she was looking for, but the last one in stock had already been sold – that very afternoon. Emily therefore, deprived of her first choice, settled for a set of coloured pencils and a drawing pad, as she had always fancied her son to have an artistic talent, and she wanted to provide him with alternative choices should he not meekly follow on in his father’s footsteps At home, meantime, Robin, sitting on his rocking horse, could hear the sound of his nanny filtering up from the kitchen, where she was preparing his tea. He was musing about his forthcoming birthday, and was hoping that, whatever his presents, books would not be among them. Although he could read passably well, the printed word did not hold out the same interest as outdoor activities, and at this stage in his young life, his father’s shop did not seem like the ideal future career for him. Although, a lot cannot be deduced from thoughts and actions at this particular stage, it is patently clear that neither Harold nor Emily can blame the other for subsequent events.

No. Personally, I have never seen any visual interpretation of the Robin Hiood saga? - only what I have read (and I don't even know where I read it) and it wasn't yesterday or even this century.No, it just seemed like a subject which was ripe for a bit of imaginative misinterpretation.That's my own personal reply to the question raised, but if anyone else out there, has any views on the subject, please feel free to toss them into the pool.

[quote="canUsmellthat"]So have you seen the recent Russel Crowe adaptation??? And if so, what're your thoughts???

If Russel Crowe remakes "True Grit" will he still be impersonating an actor?don't know if he'll learn to speak "English(Scots)" or anything other that Australian with bad accent: I was never sure or wasn it tom cruise , or thumb? after he murdered Braveheart??]

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum